


Don't Go Chasing Fires

by everamazingfe



Category: Firewatch (Video Game), Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter/Funhaus RPF
Genre: A few small details changed, All others are just mentioned - Freeform, Angst, But it's through walkie-talkies, Cute idea I had while playing the game, Fire, Firewatch au, M/M, Main Focus is on Ray and Ryan, Mentions of alcohol, Mystery, Out of Character, Sexting, Slow Build, Sticks to the game plot for the most part, puns
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-26
Updated: 2017-12-01
Packaged: 2018-09-27 00:28:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,873
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9941051
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/everamazingfe/pseuds/everamazingfe
Summary: (1989) Ryan had a wife. Ryan also had a dog, a home, and the dream to start a family. Now he only seeks solitude and a chance to get a grip back on himself. In the Shoshone National Forest, the only ones there are those who are running away from their past. Everyone is there for a reason, some more drastic than others. Unaware of the mystery that surrounds the Shoshone, Ryan accepts a job that he saw in a paper. There he meets his supervisor, an ever-chipper man named Ray, who seems to be the biggest mystery of them all.





	1. Day Zero - The Hike

**Author's Note:**

> Mostly exposition.

_The year is 1975. In a bar in Boulder, Colorado, you meet Julia for the very first time. You see her from across the bar, and she waves you over with a smile. Nervous, you stumble your way towards her and manage to stutter out the words: "So what's... What's your, y'know... Major?" She laughs at the question, and answers honestly. "Veterinary medicine. What's yours?" After a moment, she takes in your slightly strung out appearance. College has been kicking your ass, and a night out with friends was in order. "Toxicology?" You laugh awkwardly and shake your head, a flush forming on your cheeks, motioning to the Diet Coke that was left untouched at your table. "I don't drink, but that was a good guess. It's actually animation." Now it's her turn to flush in embarrassment, and as compensation for hurting your feelings, she buys you a cheeseburger no matter how much you insist that she didn't._

 

_One week later, you are Julia's boyfriend._

 

Ryan sighs as he takes the elevator down to the garage of his apartment building, leaning heavily against the wall as the numbers tick down. He shouldn't be doing this. The thought repeats in his head over and over again, not stopping as the elevator dings to let him know that he reached his destination. With reluctance, he picks up his backpack and walks to find his car. He doesn't have much with him, the most basic necessities. Clothing, bug spray, sunscreen, plenty of books, his reading glasses, and a sketchbook. The last thing isn't his. Without much care, he tosses the backpack into the bed of his pickup truck and gets into the driver's seat. It's a long drive from here to the Shoshone. He can't go back now. 

 

_The two of you date for over a year before moving in together. It's a nice place up in the mountains not far from Julia's practice, the back deck becomes your favorite spot to spend the evenings. Watching the sunset or the sunrise, looking over the mountains that are in your own backyard. Sometimes it makes it seem even more lonely. Because of this, Julia wants to get a dog. Eager to please her, you both go to the shelter the next day and pick out a scruffy looking beagle that's there. After much debate, she names him Bucket. Julia loves him because he can sit on her lap while she reads out on the porch, and you love him because he's always there to greet the two of you when you get home from work._

 

_The year is now 1979. It's a clear night that the three of you are spending out on the porch, Julia with her book in hand and Bucket on her lap and you with the newspaper that had been neglected that morning. You're content with the quiet, until Julia speaks up. "What do you think about kids?"  The question catches you off guard, but you smile nonetheless. "I think they're little idiots. Why?" She rolls her eyes at you, though she's smiling as well. "Well, what do you think about having a few of our own? A couple of little idiots running around?" You nod and tell her that it would be a nice addition to your little family, but that you should probably get married first. She agrees._

_You propose to her the next day._

 

Ryan puts the truck in park and hops out, locking it up and securing the key in his backpack. It was going to be a couple of months until he saw this truck again, and while there was nothing in it to steal, he didn't want to have to hike his way back home either. Slinging his backpack over his shoulder, he walks up to a sign that reads 'Thorofare Trailhead' and is unable to help but let out a long groan. It's an even longer hike to the lookout tower than it was a drive to the beginning of the trail. Mentally, Ryan has prepared himself, but physically? Not so much. He remembers how Julia would always poke at his stomach or his hips and call him her favorite Pillsbury Doughboy. Offended at the time, the name now makes him smile. The smile stays on his face, even as he hikes along the trail and his thighs and calves begin to burn.

 

_The year is now 1980. Julia comes home four hours late, and you've been worried sick about her for all four of them. She stumbles in after you've already gone to bed, though you're far from asleep. She's been drinking, something she only does once and a while and never too much, but even tipsy it still leaves you fuming. You begin to argue as you get in the sheets, and it takes a long moment to decide whether you should turn your back and ignore her, or get mad. The worry turns into anger, and you call her an inconsiderate asshole for coming in so late, and so drunk. She fires back with a quick, 'go fuck yourself,' before telling you to stop being such a baby. Your mouth works faster than your mind, and you call her selfish before you can stop yourself. She knows you mean it, and it hurts her. You don't try to apologize, instead you both face away from each other as you try to sleep._

 

_The year is now 1981. Julia has picked up a new hobby. Drawing. She draws the patients that come into her veterinary practice. She draws the people who own those patients. She draws the places you go together. She draws you. And you love posing for her, like an off-brand Victoria's Secret model. It makes her laugh while you do, even if it makes your cheeks flush with embarrassment, and the sound of a pencil scratching the paper fills the space around you as you both smile._

 

The sun is setting as Ryan continues his trek to the lookout post. Day one of two, and a long drop has already nearly broken his ankle. He supposes he should really get used to those, the ad made it very clear that there was lots of treacherous terrain to be navigating. All it does is make him wish that he had worked out more before coming here. He then decides that he's going to spend as much time as he can working out. There was going to be plenty of down time. As he walks further down the trail, he spots a sign. 'Two Forks Lookout Tower. 8 Miles.' Another groan, and he decides not to waste daylight and presses on. 

 

_The year is now 1982. Instead of sitting on the porch, you and Julia now enjoy walking Bucket through town. There's a festival in town, one that brings in all sorts of people. Julia wants to draw all of them. One of them tries to mug you with a knife. Bucket flees the scene as Julia becomes flustered, her words becoming one syllable and forming a mash-up between crying for the dog and pointing out the danger in front of you. Without much hesitation, you lunge forward and beat his goddamn face in. Your arm gets cut up, but you don't feel very tough. You're crying your eyes out before the cops show up. That night, Julia asks to take a different path and you agree, not wanting to go that way either. From then on, you walk by the river._

 

_The year is now 1984. Plans to have kids get waylaid by work. Julia gets an offer to teach veterinary medicine at Yale. You want her to accept the job, but Yale is in Connecticut. It's over 2000 miles away, and you do not want to move. No matter how much you try to convince her to stay, telling her that her friends and patients are here, her practice and community, she still wants to move. The only thing left to do is support her. You compromise. She commutes back to Boulder three times each semester to visit you. The decision makes you both happy, despite how much it hurts to be away from each other._

 

_The year is now 1985. It's the first time it happens. Julia is sent home for the first time for having what the administration called 'an episode.' She lashed out on a fellow professor for taking books that were important to her studies. What she didn't remember was that she had happily loaned them out two days before. She was found crying in a stairwell. When she returns home, you decide to talk to someone about it. You see multiple doctors who put Julia through a series of tests. Your worst fears are confirmed. Julia is suffering from early onset dementia. She is only 41. The news devestates the both of you, but you decide to keep it a secret for now._

 

Ryan has set up camp for the night. It's a clear night, so he doesn't bother with pitching a tent. He also didn't bother to bring one, his sleeping bag on the ground more than enough for him knowing that he was going to be in a bed the following day. A lantern is set up on a tree stump, next to it lies a sketchbook. On a nearby rock, his camping stove that he used to heat up a can of soup stays, the can and an empty bowl and used spoon left next to it as well. With a long sigh, he picks up the sketchbook, running his fingers lovingly over the binding. After a few moments, he begins to flip through the pages. A fond smile lingers on his face as he looks at the drawings, stopping to stare at his favorite one. It's of him, a nude drawing that Julia did of him back when he was still fit enough to pose for her like that without being embarrassed. Around the drawing are little hearts drawn, and the words, 'Soooooo pretty,' are scrawled along the top in Julia's handwriting. The fond smile turns to sad, and he tucks the sketchbook back into his backpack for safekeeping. 

 

_Bucket is getting older, he walks with a limp from an injury that never healed quite right and has silver hair replacing the fur on his muzzle where a solid black used to be. You and Julia walk him to the bar some nights so you can visit your friends, and things seem to be going okay. Julia doesn't move back to Connecticut, and instead returns to work at the practice that she began in Boulder. You're both happy to be around each other once more._

 

_The year is now 1987. Julia's condition is getting worse. She forgets appointments with her patients and important medical history that she used to know like the back of her hand. Most nights she winds up driving her car to the next town over, and has to be brought home by police. You only get more and more worried about her, and she has to quit her job permanently due to her declining health. Some days she remembers you, she calls you a dope with a fond smile and calls your unborn children little idiots. Other days, you are a stranger to her. You don't realize how bad she's gotten until one night she drags you into bed to make love, only to wind up panicking moments later, believing her father is at the door. Finally, you decide to tell her family about Julia's condition. They are just as crushed as you were to find out, and they begin to take trips to and from their home in Georgia to visit with her. Your friends also come by, bringing little things with them to brighten the day. She continues to get worse._

 

_The year is now 1988. Every waking moment is spent following Julia around the house and making sure that she is kept safe. Even if she doesn't always remember you, you remember her and it hurts you to see her this way. You count the seconds between the two weekly visits from the nurse, Gavin. After a while, he suggests somewhere where Julia can get the proper care and attention she needs. Somewhere with 24 hour care. A home. The idea sits with you like a rock in your stomach. Eventually, you decide to keep caring for her by yourself. If she still remembered you, Julia would've called you a stubborn fool, and she would've been right._

 

After a surprisingly restful sleep, Ryan decides to continue his trek through a surprisingly lush part of the forest. Sunlight peeks through the trees and casts a glow along the tall grass, and a slight breeze makes it sway in the wind. His legs are still sore from yesterday, and his feet must be covered in blisters from the uncomfortable boots he's wearing, but the beauty of the forest makes him forget about it for a while. He sticks to the trail, only pausing for sips of water or a bite of granola bar. After carefully crossing a fallen tree that bridges a gap, he catches sight of a deer blocking the rest of the path. "Wow," he breathes out, though the soft sound startles the creature and makes it look up. It runs off after catching sight of Ryan, who wishes he had a camera so he could capture the moment. He can't draw quite like Julia can. 

 

_Taking care of Julia on your own is impossibly hard. You get mad at her a lot. The worst is when she tries to make her own food. You can't do anything without her, and she can't do anything without you. At nights after she falls asleep, you stay up. You watch baseball in the summer, basketball in the fall. Sports never interested you before, but it's the only thing on that can distract you. You also started drinking, something you never thought you'd do, but you need a way to unwind. After a while, you begin to go to the bar in town. The first time you do it, you worry. You debate putting a chair against the door so she can't get out, but you decide to trust her. You made the right decision, you're sure of it when you get home later and see her still sleeping soundly._

 

_The bar is on Pearl Street, and the bartender there is a tattooed man named Geoff. He intimidates you at first, but he's got a warm smile and a laugh that just invites you to laugh along even if you don't get the joke. Over time, you tell Geoff everything about Julia. It's a huge weight off your shoulders, and you're home in bed by 1 a.m. a couple nights out of the week. You look forward to those nights and the time you get to talk to Geoff._

 

_The year is now 1989. You get pulled over for DUI. Driving Under the Influence. You blow a .10 and have to spend the night in jail. While you know you shouldn't tell anyone, you confide in your sister-in-law, Lindsay. Next thing you know, Julia's parents are on the next plane to Boulder from their home in Georgia. They are shocked and even a bit disgusted by the state that your home is in, and they tell you that they're taking Julia to go and live with them. You don't argue. You say you'll visit soon._

 

 

_Summer is coming, and you see an ad in the paper for a job._

 

_You take it._

 

 

 

 


	2. Day Zero - The Tower

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryan reaches the tower after a strenuous hike. After very little time to get himself acclimated to his new home and lifestyle, a voice comes on the radio. He's introduced to Ray, a man who pushes his already limited patience.

Just as Ryan feels as though his legs are going to give out, over the crest of the hill he can see the top of the watchtower peering over at him. He breathes a sigh of relief though as he approaches it and sees the three flights of stairs along the base that will take him up to it, he wants to groan in anguish. His thighs are on fire from the past two days of hiking, stairs are the last thing he needs.

He lets out a long sigh as he puts a hand on the railing, bracing himself for the climb. “I guess this is my job now… I mean, hey. At least the pay’s good,” he reasons as he makes his way up the stairs. Once at the top, he pauses and takes in the view. It’s breathtaking, to say the least. The sky seems so vast and so dark, he can see each and every constellation, star, and planet in the sky so clearly. The mountains, silhouetted against the deep blue, seem distant and close enough to touch at the same time and the trees that fill the valley between Ryan and the mountains seem to be a sea, waving in the wind. He almost waves back.

The air outside is cool, but once he is inside the watchtower it feels heavy and musty, the planks of plywood covering the windows block out all light. He was told that there’d be a generator switch somewhere, and after a few moments of stumbling and cursing, he finds it. Almost as soon as the lights flicker and fade to life, the radio on the desk crackles awake and a voice can be heard clearer than the sky can be seen.

“Hello, Two Forks Tower.” Ryan jumps in fright at the voice, he hadn’t been expecting it to come so suddenly. “Two Forks Tower, this is Thorofare Tower. Come in.” He stands in stunned silence, taking in the voice. Whoever it was would be his only companion for the summer. His only connection to sanity. “I know you’re there, your lights are on.” This time, the voice has a playful edge to it, and Ryan springs to life, grabbing the radio.

“Hello… Whoever this is,” he says, releasing the button when he was done speaking, waiting for a response.

“Hey! It’s Ryan, right? I’m Ray.” A name to put to the voice, but no face. Not unless he wanted to spend a week hiking that way.

“Yeah, hi. That’s what the guy said on the phone.” There’s silence after that, so Ryan sets down the radio and sets to exploring the small space he’d be calling home. There’s a small kitchen area with a sink and a stove, some cabinets and drawers. A desk. A piss poor excuse for a bed with a raggedy mattress on it. It’s small, it’s unkempt, but it’s home.

Another crackle breaks the silence, and Ryan reaches for the radio. “So what’s wrong with you?” The question makes him pause mid-reach, and he stares. Without an immediate answer, Ray continues, “People only take this job when they want to get away from something. So… What’s wrong?”

Radio in hand now, Ryan fires back with a quick, “What’s wrong with you?”, annoyed that this stranger would have the audacity to ask such a thing.

Instead of being insulted, Ray’s laughter comes through and he sounds more pleased than ever. “That’s a great idea! Go ahead!”

“Look, I just hiked for two days, my brain’s more than a little fried, so I don’t really follow what you’re trying to do right now.”

“You take a stab at what’s wrong with me, and then I’ll try to guess what’s wrong with you! Come on, it’ll be fun.” Ray has a weird definition of fun, Ryan decides.

“Fine. Then can I sleep? Forever?” Ryan putters around the tower as he speaks to Ray, trying not to act like he’s giving the other all of his attention. Can they even see each other? The boards block most of the windows, so he doesn’t know for sure.

“Wow, depressing much? But sure, buddy. Go ahead.”

Ryan takes a few moments, trying to think of a ridiculous story if he can. What would suit this person he knows nothing about he has no idea, but a guess is as good as any. Murderer? Rebel? Outcast? This ‘Ray’ seems the rebellious type to him. “You’re probably just rebelling against a mom who wishes you had given her kids… Oh, I don’t know… From the sound of your voice, at least five years ago. You come out here, and it really grinds her gears, which is exactly why you love it. Can I sleep now?”

“Well, she also says I fuck immature women, but in my defense who wouldn’t want a twenty-eight year old with ambition and energy and some fire in his belly in bed?” Ryan can’t help but laugh at that, but his body is screaming for sleep.

“Me. I’m going now.”

“Not so fast, it’s my turn now! I’m guessing you got fired, and when you saw the ad you decided the time away would be good for you and that it would give you a reason to finally write your great big novel you’ve been planning for ages. That’s the sort of bullshit reason you’d find a man out in the woods.”

“Aren’t you a man?” Ryan questions back, curious about what sort of novel anyone could write out here. There’s plenty of inspiration.

“How would you know?”

Ryan can’t come up with a reasonable response because he didn’t know, Ray had a point. So instead he just says, “Goodnight,” and places the radio back on the charger. A few minutes of unpacking and throwing some sheets onto the bed later, and Ryan has changed into sweatpants and a t-shirt, the lights off as he settles into bed. As he finally gets the chance to drift off to sleep, the radio crackles to life one last time.

“Welcome to the job.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A rather short one, but Day One is going to be a pretty big beast to tackle.


	3. Day One - The Lake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryan's first proper day on the job gets a late start but seems to go off without a hitch. His explosive personality gets the better of him, but he manages to reign it in time to pick up the pieces.

The bright afternoon sun manages to seep through the boards of the tower and wake Ryan up, though immediately he wishes that he could go back to sleep. His muscles ache, and he still somehow feels exhausted despite the at least twelve-hour sleep. It was a slow start to his day, spending most of the afternoon prying the nails off the boards and piling them up beneath the tower, giving him a wide view of the land around him. It was breathtaking, to say the least. A few moments of staring and he wishes he had the skill to capture it so he could remember the view forever. A pang of longing hit him and to push it away he sits down at the desk, typing away at the typewriter there. 

Not so long after he sits down, the radio crackles to life and the familiar voice fills the room. “Morning, Ryan! Er… Afternoon, I guess. You probably slept like a rock. But there’s still a few more hours of sunlight left to get some work in. I can see you at your desk, so just call me when you’re ready.”

Ryan doesn't hesitate in picking up the radio, knowing that since Ray could see him fairly clearly there was no use in putting it off. “Sorry, I guess I slept in.” 

“No kidding. Fourteen hours? That’s a record for sure.” Fourteen hours? The hike up must’ve tired him out more than he thought it had.

“Yeah, I guess it’s like… 6?”

“6:45,” Ray corrects without much of a thought. 

“Oh, shit. Whoops.” He rubs the back of his neck awkwardly, suddenly a little bit ashamed of the fact that he’d slept so long.

“Don’t worry, that hike puts everyone out of commission for like a day. Now that you’ve joined the land of the living, let me quickly get you acquainted with the job.” Ray has him look at the large thing in the middle of the room, giving him a brief history of it. Very brief, because the man keeps interrupting his own words. “You use it to spot fi- What the fuck?”

He is immediately concerned, as anyone should be when their coworker begins cursing out of the blue, looking out his window towards the other tower to see if he could tell what the issue was. “What? What’s going on?” 

“Nothing, sorry. You get to spot fi- Oh fuck me!” That has Ryan perhaps not concerned, but more confused than anything else. “Look out your west window! Do you see that? Are those fucking fireworks?” 

He turns to look out the window, after some panicked turning trying to orient himself and figure out which way west was, and sure enough, there were fireworks going off. Streams of light and smoke going up high into the sky and bursting into color. “Whoa, okay, that’s… That’s not legal, is it?”

“Uh, no? Get down there and stop them! Fire danger’s through the fucking roof!” 

Ryan stands there, confused and in slight disbelief for a moment. “Is that really my job?” he asked, arching an eyebrow. He thought he’d signed up for standing in a tower for a few months, not chasing down rowdy, inconsiderate teens.

“Your job is whatever the hell I say it is. The closest ranger’s two days away. Now. Go set ‘em straight, Ryan!” 

“Like… Kick the shit out of them?” Ryan is nothing if not amused by Ray interjecting with about a hundred repetitions of, ‘no,’ but it didn’t make his question any less serious. “What?! I’m not a cop! It’s not like I’ve got a rule book or anything with me! Nobody handed me one when I applied!”

“Oh my god, just take their shit! Don’t feed anyone a knuckle sandwich, fucking hell. You’re gonna need a rope to get down the shale between you and the lake. There’s a supply box along the way, should have one in it. The code’s 1-2-3-4.” There was a long pause as if Ray is trying to recover from being so exasperated with the other man. “Well, actually… That’s the code for all of them.”

“Wow. Secure.”

“Shut up.” With that, Ryan grabs his backpack and leaves the tower, ducking his head so he wouldn’t hit it on the cross beams as he descends the stairs. A quick peek at his map and compass told him which way west was, and he follows the path through the woods. Upon finding the cache, he enters the code that he’d been given in the combination lock and, sure enough, it unlocked. At first, he isn’t sure how they hadn’t all been looted, but one quick look at the contents told him why. There was a map on the lid with some paths drawn on along with a note between some guys named Ron and Dave. There was also a pinecone, an old granola bar (that Ryan still ate), lots of dust, and a frayed rope. Real high-value items, if you asked him. 

He takes the rope and left the rest, replacing the lock before continuing on his way. It was another few minutes of jogging before he reaches the shale slope, and he glances skeptically between the rope in his hands and the steep incline. “Time to test your worth, then,” he mutters as he hooks it and begins to rappel down the side. Halfway down the rope, it reveals its true strength when it snaps in two, leaving Ryan to fumble and grab at the air before slamming down onto the ground on his back. He lays there for a minute before he decides to radio the incident in. “Shit… Hey.” 

Ray is quick to respond. “What the hell happened to you?” He sounds less than worried about Ryan’s condition and instead sounds distracted, his focus still on the fireworks booming in the distance. 

“That rope snapped while I was coming down the shale slide.” Ryan slowly stands as he speaks, kicking the half of the rope that had fallen down with him away. He shoots it a glare before he continues along the path, chuckling when Ray fires back with an unimpressed, ‘well be careful for chrissake!’ 

The sight when he reaches the meadow takes his breath away in the figurative sense that falling down the shale slide couldn’t have. There was a large rock outcropping and a wide open space surrounded by trees and bushes. The setting sun gives everything a yellow-orange tint and he feels like he could just stand there forever. “Wow… This is really something,” he says into the radio, and when he takes his thumb off the button he hears a hum of agreement. 

“The meadow? Yeah, it makes for good camping. Great camping, actually.” Ryan could just picture himself and Julia pitching a tent out there, going for swims in the lake and admiring her as she sketches everything around her from the grass to him. He smiles sadly as he spots a small path to the right of the outcropping and decides to check it out despite the urgency of the situation. Carefully stepping up onto the ledge and walking forward, he’s still amazed at the sight it. On the top of a tree stump, a raccoon is perched, its back to Ryan so it doesn’t notice him just yet, and he slowly lifts his radio to his lips. 

“There’s a critter out here… A raccoon,” he whispers, slowly taking a few steps forward. He’s not going to pet the creature, obviously, but he’d never seen one out in nature. Rooting through his trash though, that was another story. A soft response of, ‘I can’t understand you, you’re whispering,’ has him rolling his eyes. 

He’s less than a foot away from the raccoon when his radio crackles to life, with Ray responding much louder this time. “PAIRS PARE PEARS! YES!” The suddenness of it has Ryan jumping back and clutching his chest as the raccoon passes a single glance his way before running away into the bushes. 

“You bitch!” He screams this into the open space after the raccoon, collecting himself before grabbing his radio from his hip. “Are you okay? Did you have a fucking stroke or something?” Returning to the main path, a defeated slump to his shoulders, Ryan heads in the direction of the lake. 

“No! I’m doing a crossword and I figured out the theme, it’s couples peeling fruit. You know, pairs pare pears.” Ray doesn’t take his thumb off the button so he can clearly be heard laughing, hearty and loud, into the radio. “Anyway, hope you’re having a good afternoon.” He snorts out a laugh and rolls his eyes as the radio goes dead again. 

Beneath the outcropping, his amazement with the simple beauty of the meadow and open space turns to frustration and disbelief. There are empty beer cans that have been crushed and scattered about like leaves, a campfire left smoldering, and fireworks left abandoned on a rock. After stomping out what remained of the fire and cleaning up the trash (as well as taking the remaining half bottle of whiskey he found by the fire as consolation for this mess), he reports what he found to Ray. “You know what, I take back what I said earlier about knuckle sandwiches. Feed away.” Ryan chuckles at that, putting the fireworks into his backpack with the rest of the trash he found. Better to ruin his backpack than burn down the forest. 

There’s a path to the lake between the trees, and Ryan barely catches out of the corner of his eye two sets of abandoned shirts and pants next to a backpack. “Oh, good. Drunk half-naked idiots. Just what I need.” He scoffs and disgust, noticing that the further down the path he goes, the more discarded clothes he finds. A bra hanging off a log that goes over the path, two sets of panties a little further down, and another bra on a rock. 

When he tells Ray about what he finds, the younger man just laughs at him. It’s becoming a recurring theme, he notices. “I know this will be hard for you, but please. Try to pick your tongue up off the ground and keep it in your pants long enough long enough to do your job.” 

If he could see the other in person he’d be flipping him off but unfortunately, he’s met instead by two girls far out on an island in the middle of the lake, a radio propped on a rock near him blasting shitty pop music. He picks up the radio and turns down the music, which immediately draws their attention. “Don’t pull any more shit or you’re fucked!” he shouts at them, and in turn they begin belligerently yelling at him, throwing accusations. In a lapse of judgment and forethought, Ryan throws the radio into the lake, and he’s filled with a little satisfaction as it goes static, then silent. “I warned you! Fucking cool it with the fireworks!” With the situation now handled, Ryan storms off down the shore towards another path so that he doesn’t have to come face to face with the undergarments all over again, and after a moment he radios in to Ray. “So… I might have gotten a bit hot back there.” 

He hears the distinct static of the radio that means that Ray has picked up. “Oh, like you weren’t already.” He can’t help but laugh at the comment, shaking his head as he checks his map and detours to scour through the contents of another nearby cache. More useless junk. Another note, some more trails marked down on a map. Nothing of real value. 

“Oh yes, my silhouette must be so attractive to you,” he comments, making sure to take his finger off the button as he crosses a log over the valley on his way back to the tower. The last thing he wants is for Ray to hear his shouts of ‘whoa!’ as he nearly slips and falls. “But uh… No, I meant that like… Some of their personal property took a swim,” he confesses sheepishly. In the valley between two large rock outcroppings, Ryan pauses to look around, amazed at how serene it is. There are no girls screaming at him, the only sounds are his own footsteps and the gentle rushing of the stream that runs off into the lake.  
On the other end, Ray lets out a sigh and he can only imagine that the man has a hand over his eyes, disappointed in the other but still glad that there was no more risk. “Well. Could’ve been a bit calmer about it, but thanks for dealing with it. Seriously.” The radio goes silent once more as Ryan continues through the valley, stopping so often. “I take it you fell prey to the forest service’s recruiting effort?” It comes from nowhere and it catches him off guard. “You know, when it comes to how the hell you ended up way out here. After last summer the budget went through the roof.” 

“Uh, I guess I did. I saw the ad in the paper, and it seemed like the thing I needed at the time. But what caused the big budget boom?” He held back from saying what it truly was, it felt like too much to drop all at once. He’d needed an escape from everything in his life and this had just been too good an opportunity to pass up. 

“You’ve got to be joking. You’re from Denver, not Delaware! This was national news!” When Ryan tried to correct him and say it’s Boulder, not Denver, he’s met with a scoff. “Whatever, they’re basically the same. Still, I can’t believe you don’t already know.”

“I was a little preoccupied last summer.”

“Well. Long story short, the feds almost let Yellowstone burn to the ground. For maybe 60 years we were good at not letting fires happen. But fifteen years ago, someone decided fires in the wilderness should be left to burn. So when Yellowstone went up, they did. There were reports that the entire park was gone, dude. Reagan either didn’t care or couldn’t do anything. But I got a thirty-cent-an-hour raise so we don’t have another fiasco. Like it can burn down again.” Ryan’s fascinated by this, but also curious now. How had he been so distracted that he’d missed a fire so massive in a national park? He knew how, Julia had kept him busy and there wasn’t enough time to watch the news and keep up to date on everything, but it seemed like something Geoff would’ve loved to gossip about. 

As he walks he reaches a small clearing where the two rock outcroppings meet. There’s a cache and the mouth of a cave to his right, while the stream continues through a small spot through the rocks to his left. One quick look tells him his best bet is to go through the cave to keep on the right path back to his tower. He unlocks to the cache, but it’s only filled with more disappointment, though there is a flashlight that he blinds himself with when he picks it up. 

The sky is growing dark, but to the north there are thunderheads rolling in and he decides to stop dicking around and start picking up the pace. “Got eyes on a storm to the north.” 

“Yeah, I see it. It’s a big one too. Just hurry home, don’t get struck by lightning.”

“Do I really have a choice?”

“Hmm… I guess not. Especially not with your electric personality.” Ryan groans, holding down the button so Ray can hear his disappointment. “Wow, tough crowd. My joke didn’t spark your sense of humor?” Another groan, this one longer. “I take it you’re not enjoying the current conversation?” One last groan, longer and more dramatic than the rest. “The… The arc of our budding friendship?” 

Ryan shakes his head, begrudgingly saying, “How are you in charge?” 

“Aw, Ryan! That one was really good!”

“Are you satisfied?’

“Yes, very.” Ryan puts his radio back on his hip as he ventures into the cave, seeing the path through was shut by a rusted gate. If it wasn’t locked, it certainly wasn’t going to be opening with how old it looked. The sign on the gate says ‘Caves closed. Key available at ranger station. Dubois, Wyoming.’ He asks Ray what the deal is. “Oh, the cave in Thunder Canyon? Yeah, NFS says not to go too far in. Apparently, it’s dangerous or something. I say fuck it, you’re a grown man, you can do whatever.”

“You know, I used to go caving with someone back in Colorado. We loved it. It might be good to get back into it, do some exploring.”

“Well, be very careful. I don’t need to lose another lookout. They go in, but they never come out.” 

This actually spooks Ryan a bit before he realizes who it is he’s talking to. “Is this another one of your jokes?”

“You guessed it. It’s all locked off, so no one can go in there and get themselves killed without getting the key first. But Steffie says she lost it three years ago, so maybe it’s lost for good. I’ll keep an eye out for you, though.” 

Continuing through the part of the cave he does have access to, he spots a steep wall with a few rocks sticking out. It leads up to the trail he needs to follow, but before he climbs he decides to have some fun with the echo. So much for no more dicking around. He takes a deep breath, grinning to himself as he belts out, ‘I bless the rains down in AFFFRICAAAA,’ and is far too pleased when the cave sings it back to him four or five times before fading out. After climbing up and navigating to the path, what feels like a spotlight blinds him. Immediately he covers his eyes to try and see who it is that thinks it’s funny. “What the… Hey!” He shields his eyes as he reaches down for the radio, pushing down the button with urgency. “There’s some guy out here, he’s really giving me the creeps. Thought it’d be a good idea to shine a light right in my eyes too.” 

The figure shuts off the flashlight, and Ryan’s eyes aren’t adjusted enough to the sudden darkness he’s in to see who it is or where he goes. When his eyes can see well enough in the fading daylight, there’s no one standing there. “What? A guy? Is he looking at you? Is he doing anything else?” Ray’s voice sounds urgent, and that sends him into a small fear spiral. Who the hell had that been? Why was he out there, and where had he been going? “Ryan, there’s something I should have told you before about this area.” Now he’s more afraid. It’s haunted, without a doubt. It has to be. “It’s outside. And people… They just come and go as they please, it’s madness. Madness, I tell you.” Now Ryan’s more frustrated than scared, and he huffs out a breath before continuing up the path. There’s a small wooden bridge, the center part of it is missing but he jumps it with ease. “Look, it’s a public area. Outside. Running into random people is just part of the fun.” 

Without dignifying Ray’s sarcasm with a response, he just continues on his way. The path is far more complex than he’d been expecting, he’d been tricked into thinking jumping the small gap in the bridge would be his only obstacle. There are about six short but verticle rock walls like the one from the cave, there’s no choice but to climb them all. His arms ache, he’s now sweaty from the effort, and he’s out of breath. He leans on the sign at the top of the last rock wall to catch his breath only to have it fall forward under his weight, crashing down to the ground with it. His body has taken quite the beating that day.

He turns to look out over the landscape, and what he sees is breathtaking. The stars are visible, he can see each one perfectly in the sky without having to squint for them like he would in the city, and on the top of a peak opposite from the one his own tower is on he sees what he presumes is Ray’s tower, the lights still on. “Your lights are still on?” he questions, wondering why he wouldn’t have them off and be trying to sleep.

“I’m doing a crossword,” he states as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world and he’s offended that Ryan didn’t already know it. Crossword puzzles seem to be his thing, that's for sure. “I do a lot of crosswords.” 

Passing by a generator, it’s small but doesn’t use a lot of gas, and it’s not like he’s got much in the way of electronics so it should be perfect. The outhouse is something he’s less than thrilled about until he has the realization that it’s pretty unnecessary. It is the great open wilderness after all. When his tower comes into sight, he’s relieved. The lights are on, which confuses him a little, but he just assumes that it’s something he didn’t notice when he left earlier. The lights being on are confusing, but what’s even worse is the shattered glass he sees on the ground on one side of the tower and his typewriter sunk into the dirt at the base of the stairs. “Who fucked with my shit?” he calls, turning around a few times to see if he could see the culprit before pulling the typewriter from the dirt and wiping it off a bit. He grabs his radio, deciding the best person to tell would be Ray. Maybe he had some insight. “My typewriter was on the ground outside my tower! How the fu- the wind? No. How the hell?” His thoughts aren’t in order and he keeps cutting himself off in an effort to get all the words out. 

Ray’s voice cuts in between his own panicked ramblings and he sounds put off by it as well. “That’s insane, you should get inside.” He’s quick to follow this advice, climbing the stairs slowly so he doesn’t make any more noise than he already has, holding the typewriter in both hands over his shoulder so he’s prepared to swing if the perp is still in his tower. When he reaches the platform and looks in the window, he’s just in shock. His things are thrown all around the tower. There’s a hole the window where the typewriter was clearly thrown through, and everything’s either on the floor or tossed across the room. Drawers and cabinets are left open, his chair’s tipped over, and the most important thing is that his sheets are gone. They’re not thrown to the floor like everything else, they’re not outside, they’re just gone. 

“Motherfucker!” he shouts as he sets the typewriter on the desk and begins to assess the damage before radioing the other. “Someone busted the window in front of the desk, ransacked my cabinets. Stuff’s thrown everywhere. And my sheets are stolen!” He’s fuming with anger, tossing the radio onto his bed as he storms around and begins to pick everything up, slamming things back into their place and kicking drawers and cupboards shut. 

“They stole your sheets? That’s just mean.” There’s a long delay before Ray speaks again. “Okay, I’ve put in a call to the forest service. Any idea who could’ve done this?” Maybe it was the girls getting their revenge, he thinks. Or maybe it was that figure he’d seen. If it was, he knew that his instinct had been right and he resented Ray for not taking him seriously. “Alright, well. I’ll call my friend down in Cody, they’ve got a list of everyone who’s officially been in and out of the park since… Well, since forever, I’m pretty sure. See if we can’t get a list of names or something… I need you to feel safe out here.” The last words are filled with concern, though they’d be more endearing if Ryan wasn’t stewing with anger. 

He flops down onto his bed that’s monumentally more uncomfortable without the thin layer of fabric between him and the plastic cover on it and grabs his radio. “Just point me to the nearest forest service weapons cache and everything'll be just peachy.”

“This may come as a shock, but someone decided decades ago that infinite amounts of alone time and a gun was, like, a super bad idea.”

“Grenades?”

“I’ll see what I can do.”

With that promise, Ryan puts the radio on the charger and finishes straightening everything up. He wonders if Ray can see his silhouette in the tower, storming around and gesturing as he mutters to himself. Once everything’s away, he makes a note to find a plank of wood to repair the window with in the morning. It’ll be fine for the night because it’s not cold, but if it rains it’ll be a nightmare. He then shuts off the lights and settles into bed as best he can, the plastic cool but sticking to his skin, and though it takes him forever to fall asleep the sounds of the Shoshone do lull him into a deep and restful sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this took a while, but this is a chapter longer than both the ones before it combined so maybe that makes up for it. I actually play the game and make notes of conversations, scenery, and events of the game as I go which is most of the reason it takes me so long, and if I miss something I go through a playthrough on youtube to pick up what I missed, then I have to actually write up the whole thing. Hopefully that explains why there's often months between updates, but a huge thanks to everyone who has read it so far!


End file.
